I took a bite out of this very disappointing sharksploitation feature. A middle-aged couple coming off a tragedy search for solace at a Vietnam stilt house resort but find a terrible storm and an even worse shark. Yes, the look of the shark is pretty bad, the plot was fairly ridiculous, and the acting fails at almost every turn - none of it really worked, unfortunately.
Silverstone just didn’t quiiiiitte nail this one, especially when asked to carry so much of the dramatic heft. She isn’t backed up by much of anything else. It felt as though they spent all the money on her and the location and let everything else fend for itself, to the whole’s detriment.
I can see the connections that they wanted to make, but it really felt forced. From the trauma triggers to the lost-at-sea silliness, it didn’t connect. Then, when the shark nibbles some screentime, it is empty and sudden when it needs to feel terrifying & devastating. Siverstone’s “fighting back” was also laughable. But, what has become the inescapable trope in all of these flicks, the resolution (both final shallow attack and sinking finale) are nothing short of absurdist comedy.
The Requin is more of a great white shart than the toothy man eating thriller it wishes to be.
